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Queens’ bus network is about to hit refresh.
Starting Sunday, June 29, the MTA is rolling out the first phase of its long-awaited Queens Bus Network Redesign, a complete overhaul that will touch all but three of the borough’s bus routes. The changes aim to simplify service, improve frequency and better connect riders to subways and key destinations across the city. It’s the first comprehensive revamp in decades and if you’re one of the nearly 1 million daily bus riders in the borough, your commute is about to change.
“Queens is the bus borough,” said MTA Chairman Janno Lieber at a press conference. “In Queens, there are 800,000 daily bus customers. They need fast and frequent service, and they are going to get it with this redesign.”
The redesign introduces 124 total routes—94 local and 30 express—up from the current 113. That includes 14 brand-new routes debuting Sunday and a fresh class of “Rush” routes designed to shuttle commuters more quickly to subway and rail hubs. Six current routes will be discontinued and another (Q21) will phase out in August when the second part of the plan goes into effect.
Among the headline perks: An estimated 124,000 more people will now live within a quarter mile of a bus arriving every 10 minutes or less during daytime hours and 68,000 more residents will gain access to 24/7 bus service.
Sunday’s changes largely focus on eastern Queens and Ridgewood, with western Queens seeing shifts in Phase 2 on Aug. 31. The MTA has launched an arsenal of digital tools—including a route look-up engine, an interactive map and a trip planner—to help riders navigate the transition.
This overhaul has been years in the making, following a 2019 proposal that was widely panned and a 2020 pandemic pause. Since then, the MTA has hosted over 250 community events and reviewed more than 18,000 public comments to refine the final plan.
“There are things that need to be tinkered with in the plan,” acknowledged State Senator Leroy Comrie, “but we do have a promise, once the plan is implemented, that there’s an opportunity for tinkering to be done.”